IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Despite the more than 41,000 people now fully vaccinated in Johnson County, the number of COVID cases among younger people has become a cause for concern.
In the past seven days, people ages 18 to 29 were responsible for the largest percentage of new positive cases in Iowa. Statewide, that age group accounts for 26% of new positive tests.
But in Johnson County, nearly 40% of all cases belong to the same age group. 8% of positive tests in Johnson County in the past week were among those 17 and younger, compared with 4% statewide.
The Iowa City School district reported nearly 1,000 students quarantined on Friday, April 9, with 57 positive cases and 84 presumed positive cases. The two schools with the most confirmed cases and quarantined students are Northwest Junior High and City High School.
Schools in Iowa City follow CDC guidelines, which require students to quarantine if they have had close contact with a positive case, mask or not. That’s stricter than state guidelines, which only quarantine exposed students if they were not wearing a mask.
Sam Jarvis of Johnson County Public Health said they are aware of the high number of cases but were unable to pinpoint a specific reason.
“We expected a rise in cases across the board, probably due to spring break travel or better weather. If a person was traveling, visited friends or relatives. At the moment we are not sure if this is specific or if it is a continuation of the journey, ”said Jarvis.
Jarvis said Johnson County Public Health will continue to hold talks with the district about emerging cases. He said this first week of open admission for COVID vaccines has gone well, but as we’ve heard many times before, he hopes people will be patient as the limited supply is in high demand.
Copyright 2021 KCRG. All rights reserved.